Bruce Willis’ features will get “worse and worse” as his frontotemporal dementia continues to advance, CBS Information medical contributor Dr. David Agus advised “CBS Mornings.”
“It is a progressive dysfunction … He will not be capable to do many actions that all of us do in life,” Agus mentioned.
His household announced his diagnosis on Thursday in an announcement, writing that whereas it’s a difficult prognosis, the household was relieved to have “clear solutions.”
Agus mentioned that on common it often takes a number of years to make the prognosis of frontotemporal dementia from when signs first current. His household introduced final 12 months the Hollywood star was stepping away from appearing due to aphasia, during which sufferers battle to search out phrases and talk verbally. Of their assertion this week, the household mentioned his situation has progressed.
FTD is a degenerative mind dysfunction that occurs when one of many proteins within the neurons turns into dysfunctional, inflicting it to build up and deteriorate the frontal and/or temporal lobes of the mind, Agus mentioned.
It makes up about 20% of dementia instances, second solely to Alzheimer’s, making FTD not “unusual” and, Agus mentioned, usually underdiagnosed.
Roughly 1 of each 8 instances of FTD is genetic, and most occur to folks of their 40s, 50s and 60s. Agus mentioned that folks can gradual or delay the development of dementia by “retaining that mind lively.”
“Yearly you delay retirement, you scale back dementia by 3%. So, do issues that make you uncomfortable — and it does not should be your main job, however do not simply sit again and loosen up,” Agus mentioned.
Agus mentioned that Willis will in all probability undergo among the signs of FTD and should require in-home care because of this.
“They’ll get nursing to assist the household. However it’s a large stress to the household and clearly the affected person and one of many underappreciated heroes are the individuals who deal with folks with dementia,” Agus mentioned.
There’s at present neither a remedy nor therapies accessible for the situation however the Willis household — which incorporates his 5 daughters, his spouse, Emma Heming Willis, and his ex-wife, Demi Moore — mentioned of their assertion that they hope that Willis’ prognosis helps shine a lightweight on the “illness that wants way more consciousness and analysis.”
